Re: [Usability] Linux Desktop Usability

[Lennart Borgman <lennart borgman 073 student lu se>]

Matthew Nuzum wrote:
> On 3/4/07, Patrick Carlson <firefly2442 gmail com> wrote:
> > Hello, I am looking to do a research project and usability study comparing the Gnome Beryl 3D desktop with the Gnome Metacity 2D desktop.  I've found the Better Desktop project but besides this, I haven't found much else in terms of Linux usability studies.
> >
> > Can anyone recommend further work that has been done with usability studies involving the Linux desktop?  If not, are there any more general usability studies that you know of?
>
> Here is an article I found a few months ago that I enjoyed - it's not
> a study, just one person's experience in the matter.
> http://eric.themoritzfamily.com/2006/10/25/how-berylxgl-and-deskbar-simplified-my-life/


I do not know much about usability studies that have been done, but if 
anyone is doing this, must not the context be defined clearly?

For example is it a usability studies where the subjects involved knows 
Gnome and/or GNU/Linux well or do they instead know MS Windows well?

My guess is that the result will be very different in these two cases.

And I would strongly recommend to clearly state the context used and 
keep it in mind in the result and discussion part of the study papers.